Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.

Start your Mac, then immediately hold the Shift key. Note: A Safe Boot takes longer than a typical start up because it includes a disk check and other operations.

If your Mac starts up as expected, immediately try restarting.

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :I have to type a password- do I let go of key.

Toby K. :

Yes, go ahead and type the password

Toby K. :

and when you get the desktop, then select Apple > Restart to perform a restart.

Toby K. :

and then just let it boot up without pressing any keys

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :I have to type a password- do I let go of key.

Toby K. :

Yes, go ahead and type the password. When you get the desktop, then select Apple > Restart to perform a restart, and then just let it boot up without pressing any keys

Toby K. :

Yes, go ahead and type the password. When you get the desktop, then select Apple > Restart to perform a restart, and then just let it boot up without pressing any keys

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :I have to type a password- do I let go of key.
Wheel still spinning -the apple was replaced by the circle with a line- wheel is still spinning

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :I have to type a password- do I let go of key.
Wheel still spinning -the apple was replaced by the circle with a line- wheel is still spinning
Still on gray screen

Toby K. :

So you have a screen where you have to type a password, but you have a spinning wheel as well?

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :I have to type a password- do I let go of key.
Wheel still spinning -the apple was replaced by the circle with a line- wheel is still spinning

Toby K. :

Is it asking for a password, as well as, having a spinning wheel?

Toby K. :

Do you have the OS X DVD?

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :
It's the grey screen that has my id and box for password imput. The iMac apple is above the pic. Once password is entered , then it takes me to the desktop

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :
It's the grey screen that has my id and box for password imput. The iMac apple is above the pic. Once password is entered , then it takes me to the desktop

Toby K. :

Ok, so what happens if you sign in?

Toby K. :

do you have a Desktop?

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :
It's the grey screen that has my id and box for password imput. The iMac apple is above the pic. Once password is entered , then it takes me to the desktop
No-password first-spinning wheel-

Toby K. :

Can you sign in?

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :
It's the grey screen that has my id and box for password imput. The iMac apple is above the pic. Once password is entered , then it takes me to the desktop
No-password first-spinning wheel-

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :
It's the grey screen that has my id and box for password imput. The iMac apple is above the pic. Once password is entered , then it takes me to the desktop
No-password first-spinning wheel-

Toby K. :

Ok, were you able to sign in, yes or no?

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :
It's the grey screen that has my id and box for password imput. The iMac apple is above the pic. Once password is entered , then it takes me to the desktop
No-password first-spinning wheel-

Toby K. :

Can you sign in, yes or no?

Toby K. :

can you see anything that I'm typing you?

JACUSTOMER-6btezf57- :
It's the grey screen that has my id and box for password imput. The iMac apple is above the pic. Once password is entered , then it takes me to the desktop
No-password first-spinning wheel-

Sorry' I had to stop for dinnerNo I sign in but it takes me nowhere: the little wheel spins, and the apple changes to the circle with the line thru it, but it remains on the grey screen -the wheel is still spinning-

OS X Lion includes a built in set of utilities in the Recovery HD. Restart your Mac and hold down the Command key and the R key (Command-R), and keep holding them until the Apple icon appears, indicating that your Mac is starting up. After the Recovery HD is finished starting up, you should see a desktop with a Mac OS X menu bar and a "Mac OS X Utilities" application window.

You should see "Restore from Time Machine Backup" and follow the prompts. If it's successful, your computer should boot up with no problems.

Uh oh- it is not pulling up the desktop- its doing the same Thing , but skipped password entryIt's a the grey screen with the circle and spinning wheelCan I send u a picIf not, I guess I ll need my Mac guy to make a house call. Any other suggestions ?

I'm going to recommend you call your local Mac tech. There is too much at risk (your files) for us to continue in this format. I don't want you to do the wrong thing that causes you to lose your files.

I will tell you that...the things you have to go through to be an Expert are quite rigorous.

What Customers are Saying:

Hi John, Thank you for your expertise and, more important, for your kindness because they make me, almost, look forward to my next computer problem. After the next problem comes, I'll be delighted to correspond again with you. I'm told that I excel at programing. But system administration has never been one of my talents. So it's great to have an expert to rely on when the computer decides to stump me. God bless, BillBill M.Schenectady, New York

Hi John, Thank you for your expertise and, more important, for your kindness because they make me, almost, look forward to my next computer problem. After the next problem comes, I'll be delighted to correspond again with you. I'm told that I excel at programing. But system administration has never been one of my talents. So it's great to have an expert to rely on when the computer decides to stump me. God bless, BillBill M.Schenectady, New York

The Expert answered my Mac question and was patient. He answered in a thorough and timely manner, keeping the response on a level that could understand. Thank you! FrankCanada

My Expert answered my question promptly and he resolved the issue totally. This is a great service. I am so glad I found it I will definitely use the service again if needed.One Happy CustomerNew York

Ask a Mac Support Specialist

Get a Professional Answer. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

67 Mac Support Specialists are Online Now

Type Your Mac Question Here...

characters left:

Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.